INTRODUCTION: The free and cued selective reminding test (FCSR) assesses pathological forgetfulness (recalling of 16 items encoded by a visuo-verbal semantic strategy), distinguishing encoding from retrieval deficits. Immediate free recall (FRimm) is a predictor of learning capacity, which declines with age and increases according to education level.OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of age and education on the ecrt subscores, focusing on FRimm.METHOD: 104 independent volunteers with normal Mini-Mental State scores were grouped as "adults" (N = 32; age: 33 ± 11 years; education: 14 ± 2 years) and "elders" (N = 72; age: 72 ± 7 years; education: 5 ± 5 years). The association between FRimm and age and education was estimated by multiple binary logistic regression and the results presented as the odds ratio (OR), with 95% confidence intervals.RESULTS: The chance of decline in performance was 22% (p < 0,01) as the age increased, while that the subjects with more years of education have 31% less chance of decline in performance (p < 0,05) in the FRimm.CONCLUSION: The normal ageing was associated to a decline in the learning process, while the education level had a protective effect against this decline.

INTRODUCTION: The growth of the elderly population is a worldwide phenomenon that brings as consequence an increase in morbidities associated with the aging process, which may lead the elderly to the fragility. Then, there is need for the different health services that attends this portion of the population like the home care. The evaluation of the elderly should be done widely, by using specific instruments, and it is important in the context of home care.OBJECTIVE: Characterize the elderly from a home care program regarding health and functionality.METHOD: Quantitative, descriptive and retrospective study, realized with data collected from elderlys medical records that user the Home Care Program for Elderly, from period of elderly's admission in the program until end of 2008. It was used a semi-structured guide to documental analysis. Data were analyzed by simple frequency obtained.RESULTS: It was found that 75.4% of the elderly were 80 years old or more, 77% were semi-dependent for activities of daily living, 50.8% were bedridden, 42% had cognitive impairment, 90.2% had urinary incontinence and 52.4% had at least one fall.CONCLUSION: The elderly from the program showed fragility. Their evaluation by an interdisciplinary team allows interventions that contribute to a better medical care and quality of service.

With the increasing number of elderly people in our country, it becomes increasingly frequent presence of elderly in the health services. In this context, the objective of this study is to describe how is the training of nursing professionals, second performance of the Technical Department of Health of the Elderly, the body responsible in the state of Bahia, based on the National Program for the Elderly (PNI) and public policies related to this population. This is a qualitative field research where we use the documentary method of descriptive and exploratory. Composed of 417 municipalities, Bahia has only three professionals responsible for training and cover the whole territory. The training of health staff is essential for the proper care for the elderly. Becomes necessary reflection and critical thinking which compel us to seek knowledge, through the responsible sectors to provide a differentiated and quality care to the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the physical activity among 122 elderly women attending a family health practice from Crato city, Brazil.METHODS: To determine the level of physical activity it was used the Questionnaire Baecke Modified for seniors (QBMI). The statistical analysis was composed of descriptive and inferential analysis. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 for Windows. The significance level and statistical error considered was 5% (p < 0,05).RESULTS: According to the results of QBMI, it was found high prevalence of physical activity (NAF > 2.10) in most older studied (67,2%), which was mainly due to the practice of leisure activity (93,4%) as regular walk. Level of physical activity medium (1,70-2,10) was found in 32,8% of the participants, mainly influenced by indoor activities (26,2%).CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the levels of physical activity assessed by QBMI were relatively high among elderly women who practiced regular physical activity. Further studies aimed to investigate interventions that may increase the physical activity levels among elderly people are recommended.

INTRODUCTION: Pain is the most common symptom in terminally ill patients, pain relief and has a prominent role, seeking above all the welfare and comfort of the patient and his control provides improved quality of life of the patient until his death. Nursing is predominant in the treatment of pain, focusing mainly on the care and maintenance of quality of life at all stages of the disease process, i.e., diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation. And the physiotherapist has a large arsenal of techniques that complement the treatment of pain in terminally ill patients, many of these proven, but others need more extensive studies.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to address the main therapeutic strategies used by nursing and physical therapy to treat pain in terminally ill geriatric.METHODS: The study design was systematic review of the literature, the studies reviewed were located by searching the databases Lilacs, Medline and Bireme.CONCLUSIONS: The interdisciplinary team approach is paramount in treating these patients because of high complexity, because each has its own professional resources for treatment and evaluation methods, and thus can cover all aspects such as: biological, spiritual, social and psychological treatment involved.

The Pharmaceutical Care (AtenFar) was recognized in Brazil as a strategy of social and multidisciplinary engagement of the pharmacist in terms of the patient and the society. The practice of such activities as education in health, pharmacological drive, distribution of medicines, systematic registry with evaluation of the results, this occurred in order to achieve good and safe therapies. The survey has the objective of recognizing individual and social comparative education parameters in terms of community pharmacies. The study envisions education for the elderly in terms of lifestyle and treatment of various diseases. For this purpose, the utilization of Dáder method of pharmacological and therapy driven follow-up (SFT), so that a written document meant to instruct the community is distributed about therapy and dangers of medications, service of study of medications for the elderly and their effects, activity for the rational use of medications (URM), workshops for the need of pharmacological and therapy approaches for the elderly. In this way one can conceive that it is possible to give special attention to older people in the community pharmacy, so that the elderly few more integrated into their community as well as educated in terms of medicines for all.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the use of the sidewalk and bicycle paths as a means to encourage physical activity and health promotion of the population.METHODS: The method used was observational and performed in a local specific of Rio de Janeiro in a time of great motion (at 9 am). Determined the age of patrons, the types of physical activities and the conservation status of the roads.RESULTS: Several problems were identified on the sidewalk, as: 1) manhole cover above the levels of the ground, jutting out to the sidewalk; 2) uneven floor; 3) Portuguese loose stones; 4) holes for the absence of Portuguese stones; 5) fit of the parasols of the kiosks, without signaling, leading to users, especially the elderly to be exposed to the risk of falls and stumble. One hundred and twelve people used the sidewalk and bike as a means to perform physical activities. The percentage of elderly people was 65% (73 people, 64 ± 3.2 years) and young adults and middle-aged 35% (27 people; 43 ± 5.5 years). Among the elderly, walking 84% and another 16% ran or rode a bicycle. Among young and middle-aged 56% ran, six walking (22%) and six rode a bicycle (22%). Regarding the use of bicycle paths, despite the good conservation, only 12% of people use it for cycling.CONCLUSION: There is a need to revise the standards for the use of the sidewalk and bicycle paths, given that they are underused or expose the users to various risk factors, leading to the exclusion of older people.

Brazil has suffered remarkable changes concerning to its age groups distribution. Elderly actually do a sum of 15 millions of people. In this reality are found various nutritional disorders within this age group. This study aims to highlight the ageing modifications, which influence the nutritional state, to establish a more updated approach on the main nutritional assessment methods and to identify the nutritional profile of Brazilian elderly population. This work was performed through a review on publications from 1987 to 2009, based on textbooks, SciELO, Lilacs e Medline data bases. Through this search work was possible to observe that nutritional disorders are even more prevalent among elderly, being obesity in a much more ascending rate. Considering the nutritional assessment methods now available, there is no golden standard that claims hegemony. One should emphasize the physiological alterations of ageing through out the whole process of nutritional evaluation in elderly people.